Parkour participants looking for a home in Margate

November 28, 2011|By Lisa J. Huriash, Sun Sentinel

MARGATE — Local enthusiasts call it a way of life. But some city and university officials call it a liability.

The growing trend that's attracting attention in South Florida? It's called parkour and puts a new twist on the concept of moving from Point A to Point B. Devotees of the French invention look for unconventional ways to move around urban obstacles such as walls or railings.

Parkour participants say the trend is getting more attention.

Brad Short, 20, of Boca Raton, practices his moves in parks and the public streets. "People ask me what I'm doing and why I'm doing it and I explain it's an art form," Short said. "People are seeing people do amazing things with their body and they want to learn how to do that."

But in the city of Margate, officials aren't seeing art. As of this month, parkour is banned from Margate's city parks. But commissioners agreed to consider designating a part of a park for parkour participants.

"They were very eager to play in our parks and continue to use them to develop their skills, but the current playground equipment we have is not designed for that use or that age group," said acting City Manager Yolanda Rodriguez, referring to adults who swing from equipment meant for children. The city has identified at least four organized groups congregating to play.

"We offered to designate an area in the city. We think it's pretty cool. We just don't want anybody to get hurt," Rodriguez said.

Julian Vazquez, 19, of Plantation, founded Trace Unity, a group of 43 people who meet at parks, the beach or parking lots to "live in the moment together."

Vazquez said he is a freerunner — which is defined as taking parkour movements and adding "flair, style and creativity." He focuses on acrobatics and flips.

"Freerunning is an art," he said. He said parkour and freerunning are not necessarily extreme sports; the moves can be what he considers "basic," such as jumping from one railing to another.

"If you want to get down to the basic level of what we do, everything we do is parkour," said Vazquez, who earns $60 to $80 an hour performing at children's birthday parties. "It's movement. There are no rules, no limitations; it stresses freedom."

There haven't been any injuries reported yet, but Margate city attorney Eugene Steinfeld said he is concerned about a lawsuit. "I'm afraid they will injure themselves and the city will be liable for not banning that activity," he said. "They certainly can be in city parks but utilizing the parks for conventional recreational activities. But their whole philosophy is they don't want to be conventional."

Vazquez agrees. "I see a wall and you see a wall — you see an obstacle, I see 15 ways to get around it. It's the absence of limitation; it's a way of life. It's letting go of all fear. It's realizing what I can really do and not letting anything stop me from doing it."

But there is still some hesitation.

"They jump off the swings to another set of swings — they push the limit," Margate Mayor Pam Donovan said. "They [could] say 'I jumped off the roof and did flips, now I'm going to jump off a condominium.' They call it a sport but I'm not so sure it's a sport."

Derek Klein, 25, a fire alarm technician from Miami, is the founder of Miami Parkour, which has 80 to 100 people, mostly students. He said they meet on the Florida International University campus — ideal because there are a lot of "obstacles" — where Klein teaches them the basics of landings. Then they graduate to jumping, climbing, vaulting and learning how to climb to the top of a wall. He said he teaches his students how to land properly: on their toes, not the heel or the arch of the foot.

"From there, you show them how to move over objects through vaulting or climbing and emphasizing safety with rolls," he said. "Parkour can be practiced anywhere. Over the railing is more efficient than walking around the railing. Parkour is testing your limits without getting injured."

But at Florida State University, parkour is banned. At the beginning of this semester, FSU Police Chief David Perry said he saw photos and videos that were "alarming" — students swinging from rails and lightpoles.

"It is considered a very risky activity with no direct supervision," Perry said. "It's not what we can condone."

But Margate Commissioner Lesa "Le" Peerman is impressed. "It's a sport that nobody thinks is a sport," she said. "They can go from standing still to spins in the air. They describe it from going one place to the other in the most efficient manner. To me, it's like street gymnastics."

Still, Donovan isn't sold.

"I understand they think it's an sport and they don't think it's dangerous, but I do," she said. "I think it's unnecessary. I really find it dangerous and I'm never going to change my mind."